UGA Wesley

A common image of renewal is of regenerating. Of revitalizing the parts of us that are worn down and tired—a nap when we are physically tired, a sigh when we become frustrated. But what about our spirits? How do we even recognize that we are in need of some renewal? There is a clear connection between renewal and resolutions—resolutions can serve as helpers as we are pursuing growth by helping us to focus and to be intentional about pursuing growth. Resolutions help our growth and renew our spirits. The start of the New Year is also the start of the “Resolution Season.” Resolutions, or goals, are frequently set for our physical bodies—to loose a few pounds, to sleep more, et cetera. As our physical bodies benefit from resolutions, our spiritual selves benefit from resolutions as well. It is important that we set goals for our spiritual life. We are not talking about setting up “goals” that are not realistically attainable, and set us up to face-plant into condemnation when we don’t succeed. We’re talking about resolutions or goals that help propel us into growth, and keep us from remaining stagnant. Goals such as practicing the Sabbath each week, reading through each Psalm monthly, and committing to praise the Lord for the day even before you get out of bed. Jesus knew about our need for renewal. He invites us to come to the living water and drink. What’s keeping you from the well?

Challenge:

• What are realistic resolutions that you can set for yourself to encourage spiritual growth?
• What are “checks” that you have to ensure you are working towards your goals (telling someone, etc.)

There are some things for all of us that capture our attention more than it should. Now “should” is a pretty loaded term, and usually brings along a whole heap of guilt and/or shame. What I mean, though, is there is something inside of us in moments that we are captured that makes a quiet (or loud) request for attention: “hey, this may not be the best thing,” “don’t go there…don’t go there again,” “at some point, this __ has got to go.”
The Bible calls these things idols, those things that compete with God for control of our lives. And we each have our own tendencies toward one or the other. We are given to comfort or happiness—whatever course in life makes us most comfortable or happy, that’s the one we’ll pursue. Some of us are controlled by compulsions that leave us feeling completely lost, hopeless and without God.
So how do we manage idols (especially without the contact of our regular sources of encouragement)? As much as the scriptures are prone to name idols, there is an equally strong solution: destruction. Destroy the idol.
Most of us have given ourselves to a sense in which we hope it will go away (“God just take this from me”) or that we’ll be able to muster up enough strength to push through (“it’s going to be different from here on out”). The scriptures are clear, though, that God’s deliverance isn’t mostly reflected in casually removing things. Equally clear is that things mostly aren’t going to be different because we make a vow to be better next time. Most of the time, we walk out of it leaning our whole weight on the Holy Spirit.
Two ideas are helpful to me here.
From Proverbs 3: Guard your heart, because the wellsprings of life come from it.
And from Hebrews 3: Take care, brothers, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. Encourage one another, as long as it is still called “Today,” lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

We need to guard our hearts with great diligence—deal honestly with the idols that control us. And we need community. You don’t overcome on your own.

Questions: Are there things that beg for (or get) your attention in ways that put them before the Lord? How can you deal honestly with those idols?

Challenge: Pray for God to give you a strategy for escape. If this doesn't apply to you directly, pray for the community in this area.

Do you ever just get a little ticked off? What do you do when that happens? Do you tell others? Sulk? Or just allow your actions and thoughts to brew anger and bitterness? Each day we have many opportunities to give honor or withhold honor despite whether or not someone actually deserves it.

Throughout the scripture, the theme of honor resounds. God calls us to honor our parents, to honor those in authority over us, and to honor each other. Honor is to hold one in high esteem with respect and worth; to treat someone according to who they are as a person, as a child of God, not by their words, actions or intentions. We honor others because they are worthy of our respect and because they are a son and daughter of the King, just as we are.

Honoring one another is an act of humility and submission. When someone ticks us off, instead reacting to them out of anger or sharing that with someone else we should quietly honor them. Ask God to you love and respect them despite how mad they make us. It is also important for us to resolve conflict with honor. We can disagree with each other, but still honor.

Philippians 2:3 says “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others.”

Challenge: Often it is easier for us to honor with our actions than with our hearts. We can do something honoring for someone and still have a heart of dishonor. This week pay attention to your heart in regards to honor. When your mom asks you to set the table, honor her both in action and in thought. Or when you and your dad get in an argument and disagree, commit to honor him in your heart even if you come to differing conclusions.

Media: check out this video clip on the Culture of Honor

Scripture: Romans 12:9-21, Ephesians 6:2, Matthew 15:4

rOur life experiences in Athens, GA, are pretty similar. We live similar lives—schedules, friends, where we eat…you get the picture. However, once we leave our home here in Athens to go to our hometown, things obviously change. We’re away from our stuff. Our friends. Two Story Coffeehouse. Once back to our family, it is easy to assume that our experience with them is completely unique to us. The distant dad, self-absorbed cousins, or feuding aunts and uncles. It is understandable to feel that way—you’re away from what you are living in the majority of the time. But, you. are. not. alone. In the world we live in, family has fallen away from God’s original intention for it. Family being a support system may not be the case. Family can be far from what we want to be. We challenge you to rest in the reality that God is not far from you or your family, but rather, is close. Your family may not be what God’s original intention for it was, but he is a redeemer. And he doesn’t want you to lose hope.

What can we do about our families when we’re living in a situation that is clearly not God’s best? Know that it is okay to have your feelings. It is okay to feel emotions if you’re sad, if you’re hurting. Do not neglect them. Don’t hide. Draw CLOSE to the Lord. Reach out to the support system that you do have—friends, discipler, etc. PRAY for your family. Ask the Lord for opportunities and ways to show your love to them. Search out your heart for how you are grateful for them. Run with the opportunity to practice and grow in kindness. It bears worth repeating, but do draw near to the Lord. He is close to you, He is close to your family, He is your Redeemer.

“The Lord is..."
Compassionate. Close to the broken-hearted. Faithful.

Challenge: Seek the Lord (see above). Ask yourself...

• Why was I placed in this specific family? What is my purpose within it?
• Are parts of my heart angry at what my current situation is?
• How is the Lord revealing Himself to me in these family situations?

Ahh, Christmas break. No school, fewer responsibilities. The routine of studying and paper-writing is on a hiatus. Leave that calculator in Athens! But not God. So often when we leave to go to our hometowns, or even have a mini-break, we often take that as a “break” from the Lord. We usually never overtly say, “God, I know you’re in Athens, and I’ll talk to you there.” Instead, it is usually more unintentional. We have intentions of spending time with the Lord, but those intentions don’t materialize into action. We start with plans of, “I’ll spend an hour a day with the Lord while I’m at home” which may lead to, “oh, I’ll spend time with the Lord later…” to finally, “I know God’s with me! Sweet!” and then proceeding to not give the Lord a second thought.

If you have found yourself in this pattern on previous breaks (or in the last few weeks), the excellent news is that you are not bound by these experiences. You have the authority to take ownership over your mind and time, and really commit it to the Lord. Our challenge to you is for you to sow into the Lord during this break. Think of this time of intentional pursuit of the Lord unhindered by school responsibilities…we think you’ll be shocked by the amount of growth you will walk in come January 2010.

Challenge:

• Breaks tend to breed laziness. How can you keep yourself from being lazy with the Lord this break?
• Ask yourself, “what keeps me from pursuing the Lord at home?”
• Just do it—go have a quiet time.
• Struggling? Other friends may be to. Give them a call! Or your discipler—we love you, even while on breaks too.

Anger. Addictions. Comparison. Lust. Fear. All things that can be chains around a believer’s neck. Jesus meant it when He said that He has come to set the captive free. He even gives us some instructions—take His yoke, not ours. We cannot walk in freedom if we do not know how we are in bondage. It takes a measure of self-reflection and the help of the Holy Spirit to discover what holds a yoke around our neck. The three week break away from school pressures is the perfect time to delve into this. Pursue freedom—it is for you.

Challenge:

• Remember how you pursue going after a goal, may it be good grades, a job, et cetera? That intensity and focus you get? Well, with that as your base, pursue freedom. What does this look like for you?
• Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you things that may hold you in bondage.
• What does it mean to take Jesus’ yoke?
• We challenge you to really read into the scriptures listed below, meditate on them, and ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart.

I think change is the greatest challenge of going ‘back.’ It comes in a variety of forms: people change, environments change. Maybe the greatest is that we’ve changed. The distance of a few months or a few years makes us very different sorts of people than we were before. Our personal culture has shifted, our worldview changed, our relational style altered.
A few things are usually helpful when we find ourselves in the conflicts of returning to old spaces. First, just understanding the situation for what it is—that parents may still view you as a child, that relationships change over time, etc.—goes along way. For our part, even if it isn’t reciprocated, giving people grace to adjust at their own pace, treat us as they did before, misunderstand our ‘newness’ is a must (and it’s the way of Jesus—which is always the preferable route). You have to give yourself permission to grow and be different, to fall back into old patterns and struggle to maintain what has matured. And we have to give others permission to be a slow adjusters.
Above all, we must be governed by love. If we have all sorts of gifts and growth and new passion, but don’t have love, we’re missing the point entirely. When we're motivated by love, we rarely do wrong by someone or act in ways that we would later regret. “Put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity” (Colossians 3).

Challenge: Go out of your way to consider the ways that your family members might be helped along in understanding and accepting you. Go out of your way to love and accept them.
If this is not particularly poignant for you, pray for those in the community who are having a hard time in this area.

I Corinthians 13, Matthew 5:10-16, James 1:12, Colossians 3